As we all know, corporations do everything better than government

 

Private papers from the man responsible for making sure the Titanic was safe to sail have emerged that show he demanded 50% more lifeboats but was pressurised by the White Star Line into backing down.

 

The documents have come to light a century after 1,500 people perished when the Royal Mail Steamer Titanic sank into icy waters during her maiden voyage on April 15 1912.

The notes, written by Captain Maurice Clarke, the board of trade safety and emigration official who inspected the Titanic before it set sail, were not even presented to the inquiry into the disaster.

Leading auctioneers of Titanic memorabilia, Henry Aldridge and Son, will put the notes on sale during their final auction this year. They said they are estimated to fetch £20,000-£30,000.

Andrew Aldridge said he believes the history books on the disaster will now have to be rewritten.

"Private notes regarding Captain Clarke's visits, and the subsequent British Titanic inquiry, having been hidden from public view for more than a century, are now being offered for auction," he said.

"The most damning documents in the archive relate to Captain Clarke's visits and inspections of Titanic on Thursday 4th, Tuesday 9th and Wednesday 10th April.

"They give a detailed account of the lifeboat drills, tests and an inventory of the distress signals and equipment kept on-board which bizarrely included only six life buoys - a staggering statistic considering Titanic could accommodate over 3,000 souls.